Instructor: Alison Sarinopoulos, of Louisville, has been teaching water running at the Colorado Athletic Club for about 21/2 years. She started water running after breaking her leg in 1999.

Her injury resulted in two surgeries and more than seven months on crutches. As an avid soccer player and runner, Sarinopoulos was looking for a way to stay fit through while recovering.

Sarinopoulos says that once she was back to normal, she noticed that her cardiovascular strength was better than it had been before her injury, something she correlates directly to water running.

Michelle Gilles (left) and Jamie Schelstad (right) tread water with their hands up during the Water Running workout at Colorado Athletic Club in Boulder.
(
MARK LEFFINGWELL
)

What is the workout? Water running is basically what it sounds like -- running in the water. Participants wear a floatation belt, and these funky gloves if you want to add more resistance for your arms, and head out into the deep end of the pool. The goal is to create a running motion in the water using the water as resistance.

We started with a warm-up of slow jogging while Sarinopoulos explained to me the importance of engaging the core to help keep my legs beneath me. She also explained that the movement is more from the hips and less from a bend in the knee. It was a bit difficult to get my stride at first, it's awkward to be vertical in a pool as opposed to horizontal, but once I got the hang of it, it all made sense.

Next week moved on to interval training whereby we would increase our speed and intensity of movement for defined periods of time with periods of rest marked by slow jogging. Towards the end of class we slowed things down and again and did some stretching to cool down.

What's different? Employing a running motion in the water is much different than anything I've ever done in the water before.

But what's really different is the intention behind the movement itself. When you're running in the water you have more time to pay attention to the movement and make adjustments and corrections to your body than you do on dry land. There's simply no way to move all that quickly and there's no sensory overload of your feet hitting the pavement or your body compressing with each footfall, so you're able to really focus on how you move through the water.

"There's something about the intention and mindfulness of my body in water," says Sarinopoulos and she's totally right.

Cost: The class is free to members. Non-members can pay $15 to use the club in it's entirety for the day.

Level: I'll be honest here, I thought, "Water running. Pshaw. This will be a cakewalk." Not so much. This was a much harder class than I anticipated. The resistance of the water really adds difficulty and you will definitely get your heart rate up. I would rank it at about a seven on a 10 point scale. I'm sure that the more proficient you become at it, the higher the level you can reach, but I was concentrating more on form than speed.

When: This class is offered on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

What to prepare: It's important to note that this class is conducted in the outdoor pool year-round. I wish I'd asked about location because I would have been better prepared with a hat and sunscreen had I known. So make sure to bring you sunnies and plan for the weather. As an example, Sarinopoulos said winter classes have participants in wool hats and shirts.

All other equipment, the floatation belts and gloves, are provided.

Muscles worked: This is certainly a full-body workout. Sarinopoulos made sure to mention several times that this class is heavy on core work since the more you engage your core, the easier it is to get your legs below you and move them. I also really felt this in my glutes and hamstrings.

What I loved: I'm not usually drawn to water when I think about exercising, but every time I work out in the water I'm reminded how nice it is. I'm in there, working hard, heart pumping, and still relatively cool. It's lovely.

And frankly, I hate to run. I usually only run when chased and then only if the pursuer has a sharp object. But this was pretty awesome. I could definitely see getting into this. The low-impact nature of it coupled with the cardio benefit of running make this a winner in my book.

What I didn't like: I wish I'd been more prepared to be in the outdoor pool. It's really my own fault for not asking. But a hat and some sunscreen would have been a good idea.

How I felt after the class: Right after class I felt a bit noodly in my legs and like I'd definitely had a good workout. By the afternoon I was pretty tired. Sarinopoulos warned me that would likely be the case. There's just something about the water that can tire people out. By the next day I was definitely feeling sore in my core, but not unpleasantly so.

-- Reported by Annie Brokaw.

Know of any interesting workouts? Tell us about them so we can check them out: heckela@dailycamera.com or 303-473-1359.

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